Among deaths mentioning MRSA itself the proportion selected as the underlying cause was 17.86%.

Between 2001 and 2005 there were 6.7 fewer MRSA-related deaths per 100,000 people in the least deprived quintile of England's population than in the most deprived.

For 2006-2010 the gap widened to 8.0 deaths. These figures use age-standardised mortality rates, whereby the observed rates for different age groups are applied to the population in question under the assumption that the same age structure applies.

In the case of England the increase in inequality for death rates between the top and bottom quintiles was statistically significant, in that there was no overlap between the 95% confidence interval ranges for each five year period.

In Wales the gap widened from 7.5 more deaths per 100,000 to 8.7, but was not statistically significant, as the 95% confidence interval ranges for difference in death rate in 2001-05 and 2006-2010 overlapped.

The number of death certificates mentioning MRSA has fallen steadily over the last five years. 2011's total is less than a quarter of the corresponding figure for 2007.

The proportion of all deaths mentioning S. aureus in which the methicillin-resistant strain has been named has varied considerable over the same period. It rose to 82% in 2008, fell in 2009 and 2010 and then increased in the latest set of figures.

Where MRSA has been mentioned in a death certificate, the proportion of cases in which it was the underlying cause has fluctuated around 18% since 2008.

Similarly, identifications of S. aureus as the underlying cause of death have remained steady at around 24% of all mentions of the bacterium since 2009.

Mortality rates have been consistently higher among males than females for both S. aureus and MRSA since such figures were first recorded, but rates across both genders and bacteria fell in 2011.

The death rate for males where S. aureus was mentioned fell 30% year-on-year from 13.8 per million to 9.8, and by a fifth for MRSA from 6.8 to 5.4.

Among females the rate for S. aureus dropped by 41% from 8.2 per million to 4.8, and by a third from 3.7 to 2.4 for MRSA.

Between 2007 and 2011 mortality rates increased with age for both gender and both bacteria. For males, the mortality rate ranged between 2.3 (S. aureus) and 4.3 (MRSA) per million for under 45s, but rose to 411.2 (MRSA) and 524.5 (S. aureus) for those aged 85 and over.

For females the mortality rates for under 45s were 1.7 (S. aureus) and 0.5 (MRSA), rising to 197.5 (MRSA) and 256.6 (S. aureus).

Annual age-standardised mortality rates are shown in the table. Click the link beneath to access all data shown in the charts.

Data summary

Age-standardised mortality rates for deaths mentioning Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA, England and Wales, 1993 to 2011 (rate per million population)